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Posted: Dec 16, 2024

Six MCLA Women’s Soccer Players Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

Six MCLA Women’s Soccer Players Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Senior midfielder Natalie Rich (Waterford, NY), junior midfielder Lauren Kimball (Crown Point, NY), junior back Kaylee Strayer (Lancaster, OH), sophomore forward Eva Eberwein (Dalton, MA), sophomore midfielder Gwendolyn Duggan, and sophomore back Tia Kareh (Adams, MA) have earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This was the first time Rich, Kimball, Strayer, Eberwein, Duggan, or Kareh earned a CSC Academic All-American program designation, a rare and prestigious honor. They join six Men's Soccer team members who will be announced later this week, and nine athletes from the 2023-24 school year. Prior to last season, no MCLA athlete had been honored by CSC since 2019, when softball outfielder Kaitlyn Berghela was named to the Academic All-American Division III third team.

A three-year senior, Rich was third on the Trailblazers with three goals, including a two-goal performance in MCLA's penultimate game, a 5-1 win over Fisher College. She appeared in all 16 of the Trailblazer's games, starting 15. Rich is a three-year soccer team member and will graduate with a biology degree this May.

Kimball is a transfer to MCLA. She played for two years at Wells College before its closure at the end of the last academic year. Whenever she checked into the game, Kimball was a sparkplug who brought a new energy level to the field. She played in 15 of the Trailblazers' 16 games, starting four. Kimball is a double major in Education and English.

The versatile Strayer was MCLA's enforcer in the backfield. She wasn't afraid to move forward when the situation called for it while still providing a strong defensive presence. Strayer started all 16 games for the Trailblazers and was the only player to play all 1,440 minutes in the season. She is a two-year member of the soccer team and is majoring in computer science.

This season, Eberwein went from being the Trailblazers' last line of defense as their primary goalkeeper in 2023 to being a frontline attacker in the offensive zone in 2024. She played in 15 of MCLA's 16 games, starting nine. Eberwein is majoring in health sciences.

Duggan was the Trailblazers' primary ball distributor, finishing the season with a team-high five assists. During the Fisher game alone, she picked up a pair of assists while scoring two goals of her own. Duggan is a two-year soccer team member majoring in health sciences with a concentration in nutrition.

Rounding out the Trailblazers' honorees, Kareh was MCLA's steadying force in the midfield. Playing in all 16 of MCLA's games, starting 15. Her season highlight came in the Trailblazers' 10-0 routing of Bay Path when she picked up a pair of assists. The second-year midfielder is majoring in business.

Per the College Sports Communicators (previously known as COSIDA) website, the Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 40,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science, and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges, and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope.

To be eligible for consideration, student-athletes must demonstrate the best traits of a student-athlete, both on and off the playing field. Among the requirements are:

  • Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA and meet high athletic standards. (25,000+ nominations annually)
  • A select group of student-athletes advances to the national ballot, where CSC members vote on Academic All-America teams. (approximately 2,000 selections annually)
  • A Team Member of the Year is selected in each sport and division. (66 recipients)
  • An overall Academic All-America of the Year is selected as the top student-athlete across all sports in each NCAA and NAIA division. (4 recipients)

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